Tales From The Underground
Tales From The Underground
Artist: Drowning The LightCountry: AustraliaLabel: Iron Bonehead ProductionsFormats: LPYear: 2023 Most bands start in a rather modest way, probing one’s own musical abilities, gaining experience in writing and recording. In short, demo time. The same, of course, applies to Drowning The Light. Although…
Artist: Drowning The LightCountry: AustraliaLabel: Iron Bonehead ProductionsFormats: LPYear: 2023 In a long series of vinyl reissues of the impressive Drowning The Light back catalogue, Iron Bonehead Productions also added ‘Oceans Of Eternity’ to its list. Originally released in 2013, ‘Oceans Of Eternity’…
Artist: CountessCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Self-ReleasedFormats: Digital EPYear: 2023 One of the very oldest Dutch Black Metal bands is Countess, formed in 1992. There may no longer be any original band members in the current line-up and the band took a…
Artist: AstriferousCountry: Costa RicaLabel: Me Saco un Ojo Records / Pulverised Records / Seed of DoomFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2023 This is the fourth review to appear for Astriferous on our VM-Underground pages, not counting the interview, but for me personally, admittedly,…
Artist: CatacombCountry: FranceLabel: Xtreem MusicFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2023 When the French cult band Catacomb announced their return, I couldn’t help but being both enthusiastic and sceptic at the same time. Of course, it is great to have a band…
Artist: Venereal BaptismCountry: USALabel: Ascension RecordsFormats: CDYear: 2023 It has been about four years since this Laredo, Texas, USA based Blackened Death Metal band has released anything. The previous two albums already showed what this duo had in mind when…
Artist: Mystic Circle Country: Germany Label: Fireflash Records Formats: LP / CD Year: 2023 Actually, only just recovered from the shock of Mystic Circle’s unexpected return and, subsequently, their first feat in sixteen years, the German duo is already back…
Artist: Critical ExtravasationCountry: RussiaLabel: Redefining Darkness RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 On the band’s previous EP, ‘Morbid Existence’, this Russian Death Metal band Critical Extravasation already introduced us to their brand of Technical Death Metal. Our own chief editor of…
Artist: VrenthCountry: USALabel: Rotted Life RecordsFormats: LP / Cassette tape / CDYear: 2022 On the band’s previous release, the split LP with Depraver, Vrenth surprised me with their take on Death Metal that both had a distinct oppressive sound as…
Artist: Mist Of Misery Country: Sweden Label: Non Serviam Records Formats: CD Year: 2022 This Swedish Melodic Black Metal band has been formed back in 2010 and has kept a steady working pace ever since their inception, with ‘Severance’ being…
Artist: AtomwinterCountry: GermanyLabel: Trollzorn RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 Ever since the band’s inception, the warmachine that is Atomwinter rolls on, now, in 2023, arriving at their fourth full-length album, ‘Sakrileg’. And just with every diesel-fuelled heavy piece of artillery, it starts slow but…
Artist: BlasfemiaCountry: ColombiaLabel: I Hate Records / To The Death RecordsFormats: LPYear: 2022 What we have here is a vinyl-only release that compiles the Blasfemia tracks from their 2015 release split CDR with Ramón as well as some tracks from…
Artist: Selvageria Country: Brazil Label: I Hate Records Formats: LP Year: 2023 That Brazilians can Thrash, of course, we have known for several decades. Usually, however, this is in combination with Death Metal or Black Metal, but the foursome that…
Artist: AzaxulCountry: GermanyLabel: Misanthrophia DiscosFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 Despite both bands having also existed simultaneously and side-by-side for a brief moment, Azaxul only really came to life when Moonblood was carried to its grave in 1999. Only then Azaxul…
Artist: Heáfodbán Country: International Label: Northern Doom Records Formats: Cassette tape Year: 2023 Heáfodbán hail from Seattle, Washington, USA and blend in some folk-induced burst of rage to a firmly chaotic sort of Black Metal. Just to be sure, adding…
Artist: VârcolacCountry: RomaniaLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital demoYear: 2023 ‘Demo II’ marks the return of this, seemingly, one-man Black Metal act from Romania, Vârcolac. Early 2022 saw the release of the band’s debut full-length album, which was digitally released by the band…
Artist: Kalmankantaja / Hadak Ura Country: Finland / USA Label: Death Hymns / Wolfspell Records Formats: Split Cassette / Split CD Year: 2022 Although Kalmankantaja beats Hadak Ura in terms of volume, both acts are quite prolific and dish out…
Artist: Until Death Overtakes MeCountry: BelgiumLabel: Self-releasedFormats: CDYear: 2023 Although Until Death Overtakes Me’s spiritual father, Stijn van Cauter is slowly creeping up the mindblowing amount of no less than 100 solo albums, I have kind of lost contact with…
Artist: WolflustCountry: BrazilLabel: Hammer Of DamnationFormats: Cassette EP / CD EPYear: 2022 The Brazilians of Wolflust have come out with their second EP, ‘Endless War’, which, with some 16 minutes of material, presents us with a modest bite of unbridled…
Artist: Hadak Ura Country: USA Label: Death Hymns Formats: LP Year: 2022 Hadak Ura, a one-man band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, which, before today, wasn’t featured on our VM-Underground pages but together with the more recent split release with Kalmankantaja…
Artist: Steingrab Country: Germany Label: Astral Nightmare Productions Formats: CD Year: 2022 ‘Fluch Der Ruhelosigkeit’ is Steingrab’s sixth album (not counting, the live and compilation album, nor the first demo), making this one-man quite a prolific one. Though it was…
Artist: Black KnifeCountry: USALabel: Morbid And Miserable RecordsFormats: Cassette tapeYear: 2023 I first picked up the music of Black Knife with the 2017 released split 7” EP with Abigail. That split collaboration already gave away a little what to expect…
Artist: UnohdusCountry: FinlandLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2023 With two tracks spanning a total of 8 minutes, Finland’s Unohdus’ arrival on the Black Metal scene is short but sweet. The atmospheric Black Metal in these two songs shows the one-man band…
Artist: Ceremonial Crypt DesecrationCountry: AustraliaLabel: Banner Of BloodFormats: Digital demoYear: 2023 This Australian one-man Black Metal band has been featured on our VM-Underground pages a couple of times, it well seems this album will be the last one ever to…
Artist: KalmankantajaCountry: FinlandLabel: HammerbundFormats: CDYear: 2023 With the arrival of ‘Surun Saattomailla’, the second Kalmankantaja album of 2023 and 24th full-length in total sees its release. Often working with in particular different vocalists, this time we once again find Grim666 taking…
Artist: Necrotombs Country: Italy Label: Dark United Media Formats: Digital Year: 2022 With ‘Collectible Human Bodies’, Italian one-man band Necrotombs is already on its fourth full-length album. Musically, it brings little that is exciting, fairly standard and mid-tempo Old School…
Artist: ExpungedCountry: CanadaLabel: CDN RecordsFormats: CDYear: 2022 The ex-Hells Headbangers Records recording artists Expunged, hailing out of Ottawa, Canada, returns with a new album. This time released by their compatriots from CDN Records, who also released the split cassette tape/CD…
Artist: Death ReichCountry: SwedenLabel: Non Serviam RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 After a few demos/singles and two EP’s this Swedish Death Metal band, comprised out of past and current members of bands like Grief Of Emerald, Runemagick and Sacramentum, felt…
Artist: An Abstract IllusionCountry: SwedenLabel: Willowtip RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 Although ‘Woe’ is not the first album for these Swedes, it was only since this album that I really got hooked by them. Not that the debut album, or…
Artist: Vitriolic GloomCountry: UkraineLabel: Deepswarming BloodmagikFormats: Digital demoYear: 2023 The aptly titled ‘Transcending The Suffocative Light’-demo is the first offering from this one-man act from Kremenchuk, Ukraine. On this (so far) digital only demo Yehor “Gnom” Mutylin serves us with…
Artist: Cirith GorgorCountry: The NetherlandsLabel: Heidens Hart Records / Ketzer RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 Almost like no other Black Metal band from the Dutch scene, Cirith Gorgor turned out to be the child of its time. When they put…
Artist: Putrifier Country: Chile Label: Iron Bonehead Productions Formats: Cassette EP Year: 2023 This EP, that clocks just under the 18 minute mark, is the debut for Chilean Black/Death Metal band Putrifier. The first thing I thought of when I…
Artist: Øde Country: Germany Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Year: 2023 This new band, which emerged from the German Black Metal scene in 2022, is formed by a pair who have already gained some experience in a number of other Black…
Artist: WiltCountry: GermanyLabel: Self-releasedFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 Just like the band’s 2018’s debut album ‘Faces Of The Grave’, Wilt took things in their own hands. That means that this sophomore album, ‘Into Nothingness’, is again a self-released product, available…
Artist: Dawn’s ReflectionCountry: USALabel: Cryptic Shield VaultFormats: Demo tapeYear: 2023 ‘Demo MMXXIII’ is not only the first demo of this Richmond, Virginia, USA based Black Metal band, but also for its label, Cryptic Shield Vault. Of both entities there is…
Artist: ConcilivmCountry: ChileLabel: Iron Bonehead ProductionsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2022 With their ‘The Veiled Enigma’ EP, the duo that together form the Death Metal band Concilivm came up with their first achievement after their formation in 2017. However, it took…
Artist: VoidhandCountry: UnknownLabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital demoYear: 2023 There is exactly nothing at all on the internet about this new Black Metal act. It is completely unknown where it comes from and its musical origins. What is clear though, given the…
Artist: Fourth Monarchy Country: Italy Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Year: 2023 The history of this Italian Black Metal band dates back all the way to 2002, when the band was founded. In the very first years of their existence they…
Artist: Mystic Veil Country: USA Label: Self-Released Formats: Digital Demo Year: 2022 With ‘What Misery Thou Art Fallen’ the duo behind the American Raw Black Metal band Mystic Veil reveal their first offering, a one-track demo with a total playing…
Artist: Mortify Country: Japan Label: Obliteration Records Formats: CD EP Year: 2022 The year 2022 saw Mortify’s ‘Grotesque Buzzsaw Defilement’ EP being reissued on various formats, but it was also the year that this (very) short new EP saw the…
Artist: Metuzalem Country: Croatia Label: Tanatofobia Productions Formats: CD Year: 2023 From Croatia comes this new Death Metal band that released their debut album at the beginning of this month. ‘Infra’ might be the first album for these five musicians…
Artist: Paimon Gate Country: USA Label: Nuclear War Now! Productions Formats: LP / Cassette Tape Year: 2022 Last year the debut EP for Paimon Gate was released through Nuclear War Now! Productions on the three most popular physical formats, showing…
Artist: WolvëinCountry: USALabel: Self-releasedFormats: Digital demoYear: 2022 Observing the red/black aesthetic of the cover and adding the Dungeon Synth intro, there is really nothing else to expect but Raw Black Metal in the late 90s tradition with a penchant for…
Artist: AzgarathCountry: FranceLabel: ChaoscibelFormats: CD EPYear: 2023 Azgarath’s first EP and debut album were released by France d’Oil Productions, a label run by Dunkel, an active figure in the French Black Metal underground, known among others for Sale Freux, Drakonhail…
Artist: Furnace Country: Sweden Label: Obelisk Polaris Productions Formats: CD Year: 2023 Out of the many Rogga Johansson bands, which are frankly quite a bit too many, I think that Furnace is one of the least impressive ones. Not only…
Artist: VindalfCountry: ChileLabel: Signal RexFormats: CDYear: 2022 After having released a couple of singles/EP’s Vindalf released its debut album in 2021 and sees its return a year later with no less than two albums that saw the dark of night…
Artist: FaithxtractorCountry: USALabel: Redefining Darkness RecordsFormats: LP / CDYear: 2023 With ‘Contempt For A Failed Dimension’ American Death Metal combo Faithxtractor have already arrived at their fourth album. Although each album saw the light of day via a different label…
Artist: Reflet Crépusculaire Country: France Label: Canti Eretici Formats: Cassette Tape Year: 2023 The name says it all, of course, but on ‘The Tormented Wanderer Trilogy’, the three separate chapters from the trilogy of ‘The Tormented Wanderer’ are brought together…
Artist: Mortify Country: Japan Label: Headsplit Records / Horror Pain Gore Death Productions / Obliteration Records / Psychocontrol Records / Red Truth Production / Septic Aroma Of Reeking Stench Formats: CD EP Year: 2022 Mortify’s ‘Grotesque Buzzsaw Defilement’, originally released…
Artist: Ieschure Country: Ukraine Label: Self-Released Formats: Cassette single Year: 2023 Hot on the heels of Ieschure’s ‘The Mystic Fields’ EP from early January of this year, Lilita Arndt treats us with yet another new release. This time it is…